The unlimited and barely scrutinized personal expense account, gloriously memorialized in shows like "Mad Men," is largely a relic in corporate America. But it lives on in Louisiana politics, where running for office spawns campaign accounts that numerous officials are using to pay for meals and drinks, golf rounds and club dues, gifts to unnamed recipients and other perks, records show.

Former Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jiff Hingle, for example, tapped his campaign account for 179 meals totaling $83,500 between 2009 and 2012 - a belt-busting total unrivaled by any other Louisiana politician in that period, according to a comprehensive review of campaign expenditures by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News.

In just four weeks in the summer of 2009, Hingle's campaign paid out $4,161 for meals at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Baton Rouge, Viaggio in Chicago and, on three occasions, at Morton's in New Orleans, among other pricey restaurants, records show.

The then-sheriff used campaign money for nearly $87,000 in golf-related expenses and about $5,800 for flowers - also the highest amounts, respectively, among all Louisiana politicians in the four-year period the news organizations examined. Hingle used campaign dollars to travel to Las Vegas and Florida, and more than $20,000 to attend the annual Washington Mardi Gras celebration at the nation's capital.

Story by

Manuel TorresNOLA.com |The Times-Picayune

Lee ZurikFox 8 News/Fox8live.com

Hingle's high life began to unravel in late 2011, when federal investigators busted him for taking bribes from a contractor. In a plea deal, Hingle also admitted to being reimbursed more than $149,000 from his campaign account for personal or Sheriff's Office expenses, mostly through bogus payments in 2008 to a video-production firm that provided no services.

Prosecutions for abuses of campaign funds, like Hingle's, are a rarity in Louisiana, and the former sheriff was caught in large part because he found himself in the middle of a federal bribery investigation.

But Hingle's habit of charging the campaign for pricey meals, golf, travel and other perks is not unusual. It's a practice allowed by what critics say are vague campaign finance laws that are way too permissive.

State law prohibits using campaign funds for personal expenses, according to the state Board of Ethics, but allows expenses "related to a political campaign or the holding of a public office or party position," without clearly defining what that means.

Critics say that without stricter rules campaign funds are being used as private expense accounts, turning contributions into little more than gifts to candidates. Some elected officials argue that the money is willingly donated by private contributors who can stop giving whenever they choose and that, without campaign accounts, only the independently wealthy would be able to effectively seek public office.

Some political observers, like University of New Orleans professor and analyst Ed Chervenak, have said campaign finance laws give politicians too much leeway to justify all sorts of items as legitimate campaign expenses. The Public Affairs Research Council has also called for more specific rules, to make it clear what's allowed and what's not.

"Given the vagueness of the law, they can basically use these accounts as their personal checking account," Chervenak said, "and there's no real watchdog."

Analyzing more than 280,000 records of campaign expenditures between 2009 and 2012, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News found that Louisiana politicians as a group spent millions of dollars on expensive meals; tickets to Saints, LSU and then-Hornets games; rounds of golf; and other perks. Some items charged to political campaigns would seem to stretch the idea of what is used for campaigning or holding public office, including anniversary gifts, gym dues and a liability insurance policy. On one occasion, a politician used campaign money to pay more than $500 at a Hooters restaurant in Alabama while apparently attending a wedding.

The news organizations' review, particularly an in-depth examination of expenses by all members of the Legislature, indicated that most public officials are spending the majority of campaign money on items traditionally associated with running for office, such as media ads, mailings, polls, campaign staff and offices. Among legislators, roughly $2 of every $3 in campaign dollars went to those uses.

But the remaining sum still totaled a substantial amount: about $7 million for legislators alone spent on tickets and other entertainment, food and drink, automobiles, golfing and other uses that are coming under criticism.

Analyzing campaign expenses

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News last fall launched an examination of Louisiana's campaign financing, creating a database of more than 740,000 contributions to probe how wealthy special interests and businesses exploited loopholes and lax enforcement to magnify their political influence.

That review found some politicians whose campaigns took in tens of thousands of dollars above the legal limits, and it highlighted how some among them used campaign money for meals, luxury cars and expensive tickets to games and other events.

Those findings prompted reporters to launch a two-month review of all campaign expenditures statewide to find out how politicians and political action committees used $196 million in campaign dollars spent between 2009 and 2012, the most recent year with complete reports filed. The news organizations created a database with 280,000 expense records, available to the public.

Reporters zeroed in on expenses by the 144 members of the Legislature, who, with the governor, create the laws that govern campaign finance.

- Politicians across the state spent at least $1.5 million for meals, nearly $779,000 at golfing clubs and more than $168,000 in gifts between 2009 and 2012, including almost $19,000 in "wedding gifts" alone. They spent more than $88,000 for flowers and more than $24,000 at hunting lodges and shooting ranges. The vast majority of these expenses did not name who attended or who received gifts.

- A few officials spent more on those types of expenses than in traditional campaign costs. Despite having left office in 2007, former state Sen. Francis Heitmeier has spent more than $200,000 left from an unsuccessful run for secretary of state. About a 10th of that money went to polling, consultants and other traditional campaign costs, according to his filed records.

- As large as the expenses for entertainment, meals and gifts were, most campaign money is being used for what many Louisianians would consider common campaign expenses. Of the $26 million in campaign money spent by the 144 legislators, for example, $16.6 million went to those traditional areas.

- Politicians are not required to file receipts and other supporting documentation with the state's Ethics Board, meaning the public gets little detail about who and what the money is spent on. In addition, many politicians failed to provide any description of the expense in the forms filed. Expenses filed by all state politicians without any description totaled almost $10.5 million between 2009 and 2012, including almost $640,000 spent by legislators.

- A few officials have established their own PACs, effectively expanding their ability to raise and spend campaign dollars. In a few cases, politicians have contributed to some candidates from both their campaign and PAC accounts, in effect "bundling" contributions from the two accounts to give more than the individual limit.

- The Ethics Board has repeatedly asked the Legislature and the Jindal administration to clarify which expenses are allowed and which ones aren't. But lawmakers and the governor, who were all elected under the current campaign rules, have yet to propose any meaningful changes. That could change Saturday (Feb. 1), when a joint legislative committee formed last year to study the issue is due to release its report.

From tickets to dry cleaning to wedding presents

The Public Affairs Research Council and other groups and individuals advocating for changes in the law have highlighted tickets to sports events as one of the areas where rules need to be clearer.

The news organizations found at least $700,000 spent by all politicians on LSU suites and tickets, another $69,000 on the Hornets and Pelicans, and $67,000 on Saints tickets during the four years examined. Those figures are likely conservative, however, as insufficient descriptions in campaign reports prevented reporters from cataloging other expenses that seemed like possible ticket purchases.

Many officials have spent thousands of dollars on tickets. But two stood out: Senate President John Alario and former state Sen. Francis Heitmeier.

Louisiana Senate President John A. Alario Jr. shows off his LSU cap to the crowd in April 2012, during the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at the TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Alario spent about $182,000 in tickets to sporting events, Jazz Fest and others between 2009 and 2012, according to an analysis by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News. (Nola.com | The Times-Picayune archive)Nola.com | The Times-Picayune archive

Last fall, reporters tallied at least $57,000 spent on tickets to sports events, Jazz Fest and other events by Alario. A more thorough examination of his spending this time, including payments he made through credit cards with little itemization, revealed Alario and his Alario PAC have spent $182,000 for tickets and payments to LSU, Saints, Hornets, the Bayou Country Superfest in Baton Rouge and others. That represented, by far, Alario's largest spending category.

Heitmeier and his PAC spent more than $94,000 for tickets. That was not the only peculiar expense by the former senator. In 2009 he spent $758 for a "liability policy" with State Farm Insurance. It's unclear how that relates to a campaign. In 2010 Heitmeier also reported a $24,235 expense with Merrill Lynch as "market change/mutual fund sale loss," possibly on campaign funds he had invested with the firm.

Alario and Heitmeier have not answered requests to discuss their campaign finances.

Other officials' expenses stuck out in the news organizations' review. Shreveport area Rep. Jim Morris charged more than $8,000 in dry cleaning to his campaign in the four years analyzed. In June 2009 alone, Morris made six different trips to the dry cleaner, charging almost $400 to his campaign. Morris did not respond to a request for comment.

Former New Orleans City Councilman Arnie Fielkow spent about $8,000 in 2011 to travel to Pamplona, Spain, invited to be the grand marshal of a Mardi Gras-style celebration held in connection to the annual Running of the Bulls. Fielkow labeled the expense as "campaign travel" and told The Times-Picayune at the time that he was promoting New Orleans during the trip.

Then there are dozens of wedding presents, given by 22 different officials and totaling nearly $19,000. Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. was at the top of this category, spending $3,098 for 20 wedding gifts purchased at Saks Fifth Avenue, Adler's, Dillard's, Linens 'n' Things and Williams Sonoma, among other stores.

Calcasieu Parish District Attorney John DeRosier and Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand spent about $2,500 and $1,900, respectively, on wedding presents. DeRosier partially identified some of the happy couples, but Connick and Normand included no names of the gift recipients. None of the three officials indicated in their reports how each gift related to their campaign or the functions of their public office.

For Norman, the wedding presents were just a fraction of the more than $32,000 he spent on all gifts, by far the most of any Louisiana politician.

Speaking on Connick's behalf, political consultant Ron Nabonne said Connick used campaign funds to purchase gifts in some circumstances for constituents or campaign volunteers. Nabonne said no gift was purchased for Connick's personal use or for members of his family.

Normand said he pays for gifts with campaign funds only when the invitation was made because of his being sheriff. He said he doesn't use campaign funds for gifts to personal friends or family, although he said he has given gifts from the campaign account to members of the sheriff's department. DeRosier didn't respond to a request for comment.

Jefferson Parish Court Judge Roy Cascio spent campaign money on constituents of an earlier age, reporting more than $300 in gifts for "baby shower" and "baby." Cascio did not return a message seeking comment.

"What does that have to do with your campaign?" Chervenak said of the numerous gifts, especially wedding presents, given by public officials.

The most peculiar wedding-related expense found in the review was filed by former St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Wayne Jones. In March 2009, Jones charged $508 at an Orange Beach, Ala., Hooters restaurant, labeling it as an expense for a wedding. Jones did not return a message seeking an explanation of how that was connected to his office or campaign.

Other officials used campaign funds to pay for dues at clubs and organizations. Former St. Charles Parish District Attorney Harry Morel spent more than $8,000 in campaign money for dues at Cypress Lakes Country Club in Destrehan, and he continued to do so even after leaving office. His campaign also paid his law fraternity dues.

"They've allowed it for 20 or 30 years," Morel said this week of using campaign money to pay dues. He said those expenses are legal, and that reports about how he used his campaign account is "sort of silly . . . very unfair."

Not facing a challenger has not stopped some officials from spending campaign dollars. St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain, who has not faced opposition since 2003, spent $25,000 from campaign funds in 2010 to buy a car from Northpark Nissan. Two years later, Strain's campaign spent nearly $39,000 on a campaign vehicle from Brian Harris Autoplex.

In a statement, Strain said he consulted with the state Ethics Board before purchasing each of the vehicles and was assured the purchases complied with the law.

Politicians filed about $500,000 in campaign spending including the word "constituent" in their item description. Those expenses included meals, flowers, gifts and more, although the constituents were almost never identified.

Rep. Stephen Pugh of Ponchatoula charged his campaign for 160 different constituent meetings and meals, including a meeting advising a constituent on how to enter the priesthood, another with a constituent seeking advice to sell a business, a dinner with a constituent to discuss bringing video bingo back, and so on.

Pugh didn't respond to a request for comment. Chervenak questioned why public officials, who were elected to represent and assist their constituents, have to charge the campaigns for doing their job.

"Wining and dining constituents, I don't think fits into the description of being a representative," he said.

Disclosure requirements are insufficient, some say

Examples like these illustrate the wide variety of expenses that the law currently allows. But PAR and others, including the state Ethics Board, have asked lawmakers to come up with a clearer list of guidelines for what is allowed and what is not, as well as more detailed disclosure requirements.

The joint Governmental Affairs Committee is due to issue recommendations Saturday (Feb. 1). Committee members have given no public indication of what they may recommend. Sen. Ed Murray said at a committee hearing in December that he favored more specific disclosure instead of further restrictions on expenses.

"The focus should be on the disclosure side, so the public knows what's going on," he said. "We can make all the rules you want, but bad folks are going to find a way around them."

He didn't specify what new disclosure rules he had in mind, but some advocates have said that requiring officials to file receipts or other supporting documentation would be a good step forward.

The law mandates that candidates keep receipts for two years, and that political action committees maintain them for six years. But those records don't have to be filed with spending reports sent to the Ethics Board. The board has said it doesn't have the personnel to regularly audit even a sample of reports as they are currently filed.

That honor system doesn't give the public enough information to verify the sums officials are reporting in their forms, or to better evaluate whether some expenses were legitimately tied to a campaign.

Citizens for Good Government, a Jefferson Parish group that has been pushing for more disclosure in campaign financing, has also said that even requiring better descriptions in current reports would help.

Alexandria Rep. Herbert Dixon, for example, spent about $35,000 in food and drinks in the four years studied. But finding out who shared those meals or their purpose is all but impossible. He had 250 instances in which he labeled the expense as only "meal," including $528 at Sullivan's in Baton Rouge and $363 at Ruth's Chris. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Like Dixon, former Iberville Parish Sheriff Brent Allain spent about $35,000 in meals. But Allain provided much more detail in his reports. For nearly every meal or food expense, Allain listed who attended and a general indication of the meal's purpose. He reported, for example, several meals as "socials" and listed what appeared to be members of his family and others.

Allain used the generic "constituent" only twice in reports cataloging more than $700,000 in expenses.

Better disclosure, however, can only go so far, advocates of change said. PAR President Robert Travis Scott is asking lawmakers to consider further restricting some expenses, including vehicles, tickets to sports events, and expenses for housing when lawmakers are in Baton Rouge.

"You don't want a campaign contribution that's simply a gift in a different package," he said.

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Louisiana Purchased, an examination of campaign expenses will continue through February on NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News.